This 4th
of July, America’s Independence Day, was very different then celebrations in
the past. One difference is that it was
on a Wednesday and I was required to work on Tuesday and Thursday … this made
traveling to celebrations unavailable. In
the past, I would gather with family in South Dakota or go up to our cabin in
Lake of the Woods. This year there was
not time. Another thing that was very
different was the heat. Rochester, MN
had temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit with 60-70% humidity. Nobody was outside celebrating. On a day that is all about cooking outside
and picnics… people huddled inside their air conditioning. I did not have any air condition at home so
to survive – I volunteered to work at the Hospital – at least there was air!
These
differences got me thinking. What was Independence
Day like in the 40’s? Did families
celebrate, discovering new ways to make their favorite foods…? Did men too old to go off to war – did they
do fireworks? Were there any black powder
to use for fireworks or did it all go to the war effort?
Often
working in a hospital, I meet people … who give off a presence of strength and
confidence that their loved one will get better- then as I talk with them
cracks are seen in this mask. I see
their eyes brim with unshed tears, worry and fear of the uncertainty of the
future shines out of those eyes. Their
voice breaks then they stop, take a deep breath, then their “strong” look is
back.
Thinking
back to celebrating the 4th… how did families truly celebrate when
so many of their loved ones were gone. Their
father was not the one cooking on the barbecue; the family would be so much
smaller as the men had gone to war. How
did women celebrate? The 4th
of July is celebrating a victory in war- celebrating an end to fighting…. Yet that
is not what was happening in 1942.
As I
stood to sing the American National anthem, I wondered how women could stand to
be patriotic, singing about ‘the rockets’ red glare and bombs bursting in air’…
without thinking of their husbands huddled in a fox hole, trying to stay
alive. Did they present a “strong” presence
– like loved ones do in the hospital? Or
would a person see the cracks in their patriotism… the unshed tears and the
fear of the unknown future?
Would they be singing “God Bless America,” or be quietly
crying out “God, Just bring them home!”
I realized that this year – It was hard for me to be 100%
patriotic.
This year, I have been given glimpses of the loss that goes
with these holidays.
And I pray – Lord, bring Peace!
